Curtain rod



April 22, 1941.

F. W. RICHARDSON CURTAIN Ron Filed June 1'7, 1940 RM m 0 0 E m m m M 6 Q a t 5 @fis 3' F 2 Patented Apr. 22, 1941 UNITED CURTAIN ROD Fred W. Richardson, Sturgis, Mich, assignor to Kirsch Company, Sturg'is, Mich.

Application June 17, 1940, Serial No. 340,875

(Cl. l56-20) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in curtain rods or drapery hardware and particularly to what may be termed either curtain cranes or swinging extension rods. It has for its objects:

First, to provide a new and improved curtain crane construction.

Second, to provide such a construction in which a hollow slotted rod is used and in which the curtain or drapery is suspended from slides positioned in the slotted portion of the rod.

Third, to provide such a construction in which traversing mechanism is suitably mounted and concealed.

Fourth, to provide such a construction in which suitable stop means are provided for the slides and in which the curtain or drapery extends the full length of the rod.

Fifth, to provide such a construction in which the rod and the master slide are so formed that if the curtain suspended therefrom is grasped to swing the crane outwardly away from the window, the master slide will become locked in position so that the slides will not slide back along the rod, disrupting and jamming the traversing mechanism.

Sixth, to provide a practical means for looking the inner and outer sections in fixed ex-, tended position without interfering with the traverse or draw cord mechanism.

Further objects and advantages pertaining to details and economies of construction and operation will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined in the claims. Preferred embodiments of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a curtain crane embodying my invention with the rod broken at the center.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the end of the rod showing the master slide in locked position.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 4.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. l. a

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the means employed by me to prevent movement of the telescoping sections of the rod.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the end of the rod showing a slightly difierent form of the invention.

My curtain crane l consists of a suitable bracket 2 for attachment to the wall and a rod 3 which is pivoted thereto on a pivot 4. The rod 3 is a hollow rod and has a longitudinal slot 5 in one side thereof. The rod is formed of two telescoping sections. The larger section is indicated at 6 and the smaller section which fits therein is indicated at l. The end of the rod is bent over as indicated at 8 to provide a smooth finish.

Within the hollow rod, I provide a suitable traverse mechanism consisting of a single pulley 9 which is mounted near the free end of the rod and is clamped in place by a suitable screw 10 which clamps the base H on which the pulley is pivoted against the edges of the slot 5. At the pivoted end of the rod I provide a pair of pulleys l2 and I3 which are anchored in place within the rod.

A master slide [4 which will be described in detail later is slidably mounted in the slot 5 and between the master slide l4 and the pivoted end of the rod, I provide suitable slides 15 which are slidably mounted in the slot 5. A cord ii is fastened to the master slide and a bight extends around the pulley 9. One end I! extends over the pulley I2 and the other end 18 over the pulley I3 and the ends I! and I8 depend through an aperture IS in the bottom of the rod. By pulling on either of the ends, the movement of the master slide H1 in the slot 5 is controlled and through the control of the movement of the master slide, the movement of the slides I5 is also controlled.

In order to prevent the rod sections from telescoping during use of the traversing mechanism, I provide means for locking them in position. These means consist of a member 2B which embraces the smaller section 1 of the rod. It is provided with a raised wedge 2| which slides between the sections 6 and 1 locking them in adjusted position, as indicated in dotted lilies in Fig. 5.

The master slide I4 is provided with two spaced sliding elements 22 and 23 and an extension 24 which extends outwardly beyond the outermost element 22 toward the free end of the rod. At the outer end of the extension 24, I provide an aperture 25 to hang one edge of a curtain or drapery. An aperture 26 also serves to hold the drapery which is also fastened in the slots 21 in the slides [5. The outer pulley 9 serves as a stop to prevent outward movement of the slide and the extension 24 .extends to the outer or free end of the rod 3 when the slide is stopped by the pulley 9. The sliding elements 22 and 23 and the extension 24 are so arranged that if one attempted to swing the curtain crane by grasping the outer edge of a curtain suspended from the crane, the downward pull on the edge of the curtain causes the extension 24 to move downwardly, pivoting the slide about the element 22, causing the element 23 to contact the upper edge of the slot 5. In order to assure locking of the slide in this position, I provide a notch 23 in the upper edge of the slot 5 to receive the element 23. This assures a locking of the slide and prevents a movement of it toward the pivoted end of the rod which would tend to jam the traversing mechanism and to cause the cords A pulley 1B9 serves as a stop for the slide H4 which has the extension I24 and the aperture I25 corresponding to the extension 24 and the aperture 25 of the form of invention shown in Figs. 1-5. A pull on the edge of the curtain suspended from the extension H24 causes the slide to pivot around the element I22, causing the element I23 to engage the'upper edge of the slot 185 to bind the slide H4 in the slot to hinder or prevent sliding movement.

The terms and expressions which have been herein employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation. There is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof. It is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In a curtain crane having a hollow rod pivoted to a suitable bracket and having a longitudinally extending slot in one side thereof, a master slide having a pair of spaced sliding elements fitted loosely in said slot and having extension means extending beyond the outermost of said elements toward the free end of said rod and adapted to support one edge of a curtain, whereby a downward pull on the edge of a curtain supported by said extension means Will pivot said slide about the outermost of said elements resting onthe bottom edge of said slot to raise the innermost of said elements against the upper edge of said slot, a notch in the upper edge of said slot to receive said innermost element when said slide is moved to its outermost position to-' ward the free end of said rod and is tilted, a single pulley within the free end of saidrod serving as a stop for said master slide, a pair of pulleys within said rod adjacent its pivoted end, and a cord fastened to said master slide and lying within said rod having a bight extending over the outer periphery of said single pulley and having an end extending over each of said double pulleys and extending downwardly through the bottom of said rod.

2. In a curtain crane having a hollow rod pivoted to a suitable bracket and having a longitudinally extending slot in one side thereof, a master slide having a pair of spaced sliding elements fitted loosely in said slot and having eX- tension means extending beyond the outermost of said elements toward the free end of said rod and adapted to support one edge of a curtain, whereby a downward pull on the edge of a curtain supported by said extension means will pivot said slide about the outermost of said elements resting on the bottom edge of said slot to raise the innermost of said elements against the upper edge of said slot, a single pulley within the free end of said rod serving as a stop for said master slide, a pair of pulleys within said rod adjacent its pivoted end, and a cord fastened to said master slide and lying Within said rod having a tight extending over the outer periphery of said single pulley and having an end extending over each assess;

tension means extending beyond the outermost of said elements toward the free end of said rod and adapted to support one edge of a curtain, whereby a downward pull on the edge of a curtain supported by said extension means will pivot said slide about the outermost of said elements resting on the bottom edge of said slot to raise the innermost of said elements against the upper edge of said slot, a notch in the upper edge of said slot to receive said innermost element when said slide is moved to its outermost position toward the free end of said rod and is tilted, and stop means at the free end of said rod to limit outward movement of said slide.

4. In a curtain crane having a hollow rod pivoted to a suitable bracket and having a longitudinally extending slot in one side thereof, a master slide having a pair of spaced sliding elements fitted loosely in said slot and having extension means extending beyond the outermost of said elements toward the free end of said rod and adapted to support one edge of a curtain, whereby a downward pull on the edge of a curtain supported by said extension means will pivot said slide about the outermost of said elements resting on the bottom edge of said slot to raise the innermost of said elements against the upper edge of said slot, and stop means at the free end of said rod to limit outward movement of said slide.

5. In a curtain crane having a hollow rod pivoted to a suitable bracket and having a longitudinally extending slot therein, and a master slide disposed slidably in said slot and adapted to support an edge of a curtain and having means operated by pulling on said edge of the curtain suspended from said slide to cause said slide to bind in said slot.

6. In a curtain crane having a hollow rod pivoted to a suitable bracket and having a longitudinally extending slot therein, and a master slide disposed slidably in said slot and adapted to support an edge of a curtain and having means operated by pulling on said edge of the curtain suspended from said slide to cause said slide to become locked against sliding movement in said slot. 1

'7. In a curtain crane, a hollow rod comprising telescoping sections slotted longitudinally on one side and having traverse slides slidable in said slot, traverse pulleys at the ends of said rod and a cord in said rod for controlling said slides, and means for holding said telescoping sections in adjusted extended position whereby the telescoping of the rod during operation of the traversing mechanism is prevented comprising a member embracing the smaller of said telescoping sections and having wedging means thereon adapted to Wedge between said sections.

8. The combination of a pair of hollow telescoping curtain rod sections and a member embracing the smaller of said telescoping sections and having wedging means thereon adapted to wedge between the inner and outer telescoping sections to lock them in adjusted extended posi'tion.

FRED W. RICHARDSON. 

